


Hunting a Home

by hypermoyashi



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Demon!Killua, Dragon!Gon, Drowning, Families of Choice, Fantasy AU, Found Family, Gen, Gore, He/him Kurapika, Leorio's family is three cryptids: the fic, M/M, Minor Spoilers, Nightmares, Non-Binary Kurapika, Other, Self-Destructive Behavior, Strangulation, Tags TBA as they appear, Violence, Winged!Kurapika, injuries, questionable medical accuracy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:01:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypermoyashi/pseuds/hypermoyashi
Summary: Kurapika, three years after the massacre of his people, crash landed on Whale Island, home to only dragons and an odd child named Gon. While he was forced to stay and recover before leaving again, it was... more than he bargained for.It was hard to say no to having a family.
Relationships: Alluka Zoldyck & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs & Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs & Kurapika, Gon Freecs & Kurapika & Leorio Paladiknight & Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight
Comments: 32
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fair warning: this is 110% self-indulgence and I have zero excuses 
> 
> Thank you so much to Wei for coming up with the amazing title ;~;

When Kurapika woke, the only thing that filled his senses was red.

The stench of blood, of cloying death, permeated the air so thickly he could taste it. Faces twisted in agony as eyes shone as scarlett as the sea of gore around them…

It was enough to have him turning and retching, ignoring the pain the motion brought him. He didn’t notice the soothing hand on his back, the concerned voice. His eyes burned too fiercely, his memories clouding them.

And then his instincts kicked in and tackled whoever had touched him. Kurapika’s fingers wrapped around a distinctly human throat before he could think better of it, before he could come back to reality, but he would later thank whatever god most likely didn’t exist that he didn’t squeeze.

Wide brown eyes stared back at him, and it was the sight of a child and not a threat beneath him that finally snapped Kurapika back to reality.

He scrambled off the child, his chest heaving with the force of his breathing. He was… in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar child. The child was a child, yes, but… That didn’t guarantee he wasn’t a threat. Many beings could choose their own form, and that included choosing what age they appeared as.

Even so, Kurapika’s hands shook. Not because he was scared of the child, but because he wondered what would’ve happened had he not pulled back.

If this was truly a child before him, then he wouldn’t have been able to forgive himself.

In the end, it was the child that spoke first. “It’s okay now! This is my home, so don’t worry. You’re safe here.”

“I’m supposed to take you at your word?” Kurapika asked, and his voice sounded hollow even to him. It was shaky at best. He tried to flick his wings, only to find one pinned against his body.

Kurapika whipped his head around, only now noticing how one of them was carefully folded against his back and secured against his torso by bandages. Another quick survey of his own form confirmed that all his clothes were still in place, so the bandages must be to keep his wing in place rather than for other injuries. Though… Now that he was looking, there were many other places, especially along his arms, that now sported similar bandages.

“Your wing was broken,” the child supplied. “I’ve helped birds before, but I’ve never done a wing that big!”

Kurapika blinked and turned back to the child. He was small, nearly half Kurapika’s own height, so he could be no more than nine or ten. “You did this? Where are your parents?”

“Aunt Mito is out getting food! She’ll be back soon, so we can eat when she gets back!” the child replied brightly.

“Where is this?” Kurapika had eyes, so he could tell they were nestled within a cave. It was, however, a very homey cave. He was sat on a cot raised from the cold stone, with blankets piled around him. A fire pit separated himself and the child, but no fire was lit within it. It was probably still too warm for it, though there was firewood stacked next to it.

A quick survey of the rest of the cave confirmed there was only one exit, though it would be more accurate to say that this little home was set up in the dead end of a cave. Kurapika guessed if the cave was followed from the dead end, it would lead outside.

But why was a child living in a cave in the first place?

“Whale Island. It’s to the northeast of the mainland… Were you trying to fly during the storm? I found you after it.”

Kurapika frowned and nodded. “I wanted… to get to my destination faster, because I heard a rumor I wanted to investigate. I suppose I was careless.” He had underestimated the severity of the storm before leaving. He’d thought it would be fine, but the winds had quite literally knocked him down a peg or two for his arrogance.

“That’s good!”

“How?” Surprisingly, it wasn’t annoyance that Kurapika felt at the child’s optimism in the face of his blunder. Rather, it was curiosity.

“Well, if you fell because of a storm, you just need to be more careful about flying during storms in the future,” he explained.

Kurapika smiled, in spite of himself. “I see. I’ll be careful, then.”

“My name is Gon! What’s yours?”

Gon, huh? While Kurapika was hesitant to hand out his name to just anyone, Gon had offered him his own first. Not to mention, Kurapika was in his debt for treating his injuries. So far, he’d only repaid Gon by attacking him. Just his name… Just his name shouldn’t be too much of a risk.

“My name is Kurapika,” he said finally.

If Gon had any thoughts about the long pause, he didn’t voice them. Instead, he smiled a childish grin and stuck out his hand for Kurapika to take. “Nice to meet you!”

“...Likewise.” Gon’s hand was surprisingly callused in his own, as though the child was used to handling tools and climbing trees.

It could be called a touching moment, but when Kurapika pulled back, he was back to business. “Are there any human settlements on this island?”

“There aren’t,” Gon replied. “It’s just me, Aunt Mito, Grandmother, the wildlife, and a few foxbears.”

“So I’ll have to leave by air if I want to leave…”

“You can’t!” Gon burst. “Your wing needs two to four weeks to heal!”

As much as Kurapika hated to admit it, Gon was correct. Perhaps he could push it and try to fly again after a week or so, but he would need to wait for the bone to at least partially set. If he could just get back to the mainland, then he could switch to traveling by foot until flight was an option again.

Either way, four weeks was out of the question.

“Don’t worry,” Gon cut in. “Aunt Mito has already said you can stay here until you’re better. We don’t get a lot of visitors, so I really wanna talk with you!”

And suddenly, Kurapika recalled the image of two children sneaking from their floating city on small wings, soaring to the forest below to search out all the secrets it held. The people they met, the adventures they heard of, the way their eyes shone and the daydreams of exploring the outside world that filled their heads.

Staring at this child who possessed the same eyes he and Pairo once shared, Kurapika could feel nothing but tightness in his chest.

Even still, he couldn’t help the tired smile.

“I haven’t traveled much,” he cautioned, “but I’ll tell you what I can.”

-/-/-

Talking with Gon was… nice. Gon didn’t seem all that disappointed when Kurapika couldn’t offer him too many details on his travels—most of his time was spent on a fruitless hunt to try and find those responsible for the massacre of three years ago and the location of the stolen eyes, so there wasn’t much room for sightseeing—which Kurapika appreciated.

Still, he found himself frustrated with how quickly he grew tired. The conversation was interesting, but his treacherous body was demanding rest.

Kurapika couldn’t tell how much time had passed or even what time of day it was. No light shone in from the outside through the cave’s path, so they must be situated at least somewhat deeply into the cave. All their light came from flowers that sprouted up from the rocks, their petals glimmering with an unearthly light.

Kurapika’s eyes lingered on them, knowing them to be something extraordinary, and Gon caught his gaze and grinned. He hopped up to his feet and ran to the nearest cluster, only pausing when Kurapika spoke.

“You don’t need to,” he said.

Gon turned back to him, removing his hand from where he was about to pluck one. Then, he grinned. “They’re called Withering Moonlight, because they die after a few days and new ones bloom. In exchange for their short lifespan, they can bloom anywhere, even on rocks and in caves. You can’t pick a lot of them at once, because then there won’t be as many new ones, but one won’t hurt. Are you sure you don’t want one? I see them all the time!”

“No,” Kurapika said, “I’d rather not disturb them. They’re your light source, aren’t they? If you lose them, it will make things inconvenient for you.”

Gon smiled again and ran back to retake his seat across from Kurapika. “You’re a kind person, aren’t you?”

“...I wouldn’t say that.”

“You’re tired?” Gon guessed.

Kurapika froze. He hadn’t even yawned, so was his state of exhaustion so plain that even a child could see through him?

Well, there was no point in lying. He only nodded. “I need to change before sleeping. Did you happen to find my bag?”

“Yeah, it’s on the floor under the cot!” In a flash, Gon had circled the firepit and reached beneath the cot, retrieving a familiar bag and offering it to Kurapika. “Ah… I put the bandages on over your clothes, so we’ll need to redo them.”

Kurapika nodded, already feeling around for where they might be clipped or tied off. Since they should still be clean, it was a waste to cut them. Gon pointed out a small tie, which Kurapika undid with clumsy fingers. After some finicking later and finally giving in to let Gon help, the bandages were free, as was Kurapika’s limp and broken wing.

On instinct, he flicked both, watching as one rose while the other only twitched sadly upwards. Pain followed not a moment later, a sharp and angry thing as opposed to the dull ache he’d been feeling.

“Ah, don’t move it!” Gon warned. “Do you need help changing?”

Kurapika shook his head. “No, I’m alright. Would I be able to change in private?”

“...Are you sure?” Gon titled his head as though he was confused by the request, and Kurapika wondered how truly isolated this child was from social norms. He supposed it made sense, if he only lived with two family members and no one else on the island, that he possessed little to no need for privacy. He already had it in spades.

“I’m sure. I’ll be careful.”

“Okay!”

Thankfully, Gon was relatively easy to convince. He left without complaint, and once Kurapika watched as his back disappeared outside the path of the cave, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He glanced back to his wings again, frowning as one refused to move as he wanted it to. There was no way he could fly on it. He’d have to test again in a week—even if it was painful, if it could just get him off the island and to the mainland…

Sighing, he set to changing. Shirt, binder, and pants he used for exercise were quickly exchanged for a more casual and comfortable outfit, since he guessed he’d be resting for some time.

He was well used to changing around his wings. All Kurta outfits were designed specifically so as not to disturb the area where their wings met their backs, and most clothing was also able to help conceal them as well. However, with one of his wings broken and hanging limply, it was in the way of literally everything.

Changing turned out to be a Production, and Kurapika was surprised Gon hadn’t burst back inside purely because of the amount of time he was taking. But eventually, it was done, and Kurapika sank back onto the cot. His wings behind him twitched in response to his relief, sending pain shooting up his spine.

He swore. It really was difficult to keep his wings still.

“Gon, I’m done!” he called. He’d have preferred to wrap his wing up again himself, but with the angle, that was impossible. He’d need Gon’s help if he didn’t want to make the fracture worse.

Gon burst around the corner not a moment later, not sparing a single glance at Kurapika’s swapped clothes. “Okay! Let’s get your wing wrapped again!”

Kurapika nodded, watching quietly as Gon set to work and helping him here and there. He assumed either Mito or Gon’s grandmother had been the ones to dress his wounds, but Gon’s hands worked with such skill and careful precision that it was entirely possible it was Gon’s work alone. His wing was again secured to his back, this binding just as secure as the first.

At the very least, the fact his wing was secured against his back meant he didn’t have to concentrate so hard on keeping his wings from moving.

He laid down, about to let exhaustion take hold, when he realized something.

There was only one bed, and the rest of the cave was made up of only stone.

“Where are you sleeping?” he asked, forcing his voice to betray none of his own exhaustion.

Gon patted the ground like it wasn’t just a slab of cold stone. “Right here!”

“On the ground?” Kurapika may be injured, but his pride wasn’t going to let a child five years younger than himself sleep on the ground while he took his only cot. Kurapika sat up, letting the blanket slide from his shoulders. “I can sleep on the ground.”

“It’s okay! I have some extra blankets, so it’s no problem!”

“Gon… you should let me sleep on the ground,” Kurapika tried again. “Even with blankets, it will be cold. You’re younger, so it will be worse for you if you get sick.”

“I won’t get sick!”

Kurapika sighed and hung his head. This kid was stubborn, wasn’t he?

“I can layer some extra leaves on foliage on the ground and make a better sleeping area,” Gon continued, apparently searching for a compromise already. “Between that and the blankets, it’ll be just as good as the cot! I’ll make it before nighttime, so go ahead and sleep.”

With that as the apparent settlement, Gon hopped to his feet and made his way towards the exit, only sparing Kurapika a quick wave.

“Gon—”

Aaaaand he was gone.

Kurapika fell back into the bed, finally letting exhaustion get the best of him. Gon was a stubborn and self-driven kid, wasn’t he?

-/-/-

When Kurapika next stirred from his sleep, he knew there were two more… beings in the cave besides himself and Gon. It should be this ‘Aunt Mito’ and ‘Grandmother,’ Gon spoke of as the number was right, but the presences Kurapika sensed were distinctly not human. Gon hadn’t said anything about his family not being human.

Kurapika frowned into the dark, the flowers no longer letting off their light. Since sight wasn’t an option, he strained his ears to listen instead. From the sound of breathing alone, he counted three others—two loud and one quiet. Gon was small enough he shouldn’t make much noise, but the breathing of the other two living beings was loud and occasionally came with deep grumbling or growling noises.

Kurapika nearly fell from the cot as he scrambled for his bag. He had a lantern for camping tucked away somewhere, but the question was whether he could find it before he alerted the two beings to the fact he was awake.

His fingers met smooth plastic, and he tugged it free. All it took was the press of a button to illuminate the cave in the lantern’s dull warm glow.

_Dragons._

Okay.

He was proud to say his hands only shook a little as he took in the behemoth forms of two dragons, both large enough that they completely filled the space of the cave that Gon and Kurapika weren’t already occupying. The exit was blocked thanks to their mass, leaving them trapped.

Kurapika’s eyes flew to Gon, who true to his word, had created a makeshift cot using leaves and blankets. He’d also situated it dangerously close to one of the dragons, and he almost curled into its side as he slept.

Of course, with the light suddenly flooding the cave, Gon sat up and looked to Kurapika, which seemed to stir the dragon he was sleeping against. It untucked its head and raised it to blink blearily at Kurapika.

Kurapika took a deep breath. Gon wasn’t panicked, and the number was right. Mito and his grandmother were therefore dragons, and they’d both already agreed to Kurapika’s stay here. Logically, Kurapika should have nothing to fear from these dragons. On the other hand, he was injured and they were capable of ripping him limb from limb, and while Gon seemed nice and dependable, Kurapika had only known him for a day at the most.

“Hello,” he said weakly. “I’m sorry to disturb everyone’s rest.”

Gon grinned at him, though it was punctuated with a yawn. “S’okay! I wanted to introduce you before bed, but Aunt Mito said it was best to let you sleep since you looked so tired. Were you surprised?”

“Of course. I knew you most likely weren’t an ordinary child, from your skills and independence coupled with your living situation, but I hadn’t guessed…” Kurapika trailed off when a warm puff of air hit him. He turned to one of the dragons, who was watching him with an oddly content expression. Of course, Kurapika had never met a dragon in person, so he couldn’t really ascribe attributes to their facial features with any confidence of accuracy. He was only going by intuition, honestly. “...This is?”

“That’s Aunt Mito!” Gon said happily. “Grandmother is still asleep. She’s a heavy sleeper.”

Kurapika nodded, then dipped his head more formerly towards the one called Mito. “Thank you for taking care of me. I appreciate your help and your hospitality.”

Mito grumbled, but it wasn’t a harsh sound. Kurapika could only infer that she was pleased by his words, implying she understood him to some degree.

“She says you’re welcome to stay as long as you need to!” Gon supplied, after a moment.

“You can understand her?” Of course, Kurapika was aware that dragons were intelligent beings that could even take on a human form if they were powerful enough, but all he’d heard was rumbling in the dragon’s chest. Clearly, either Mito and Gon were connected telepathically or Kurapika just didn’t know the language of dragons.

Gon nodded. “Of course I can! I’m a dragon, too.”

“You—” Kurapika’s mouth snapped shut. Dragons could take on human form, yes, but Gon seemed far too young a dragon to have obtained that power. Mito and his grandmother seemed older, so why hadn’t they taken human form if Gon could? Did they just prefer their dragon form, even when it would be inconvenient in such a small (for them) cave? “Really?”

“Ah, well, I’m human too,” Gon added.

The gears in Kurapika’s head were already turning. “The child of a dragon and a human?”

Such a union wasn’t unheard of, but it was certainly rare. For mystical beings who could take on human forms, it wasn’t impossible for them to fall in love with and procreate with a human, and oftentimes, some fantastical qualities of their power and being were passed down. There were many myths and legends featuring such children.

Even the Kurta knew of such unions, though of course their case was a bit special. It wasn’t uncommon for humans to join the Kurta clan and be considered members by marriage, and although they were not imparted with Scarlet Eyes or wings, their children almost always were.

Gon nodded, confirming Kurapika’s theory. “My dad, Aunt Mito’s cousin, was a dragon! He’s off traveling, but he left me with Aunt Mito and Grandmother when I was still really small. I don't know anything about my mom, though.”

“I see… Do you have multiple forms, then?” Kurapika asked.

“Nope.” Gone frowned. “I still don’t know how to change into a dragon. I always look human.”

“Thank you for answering.” That meant… It was entirely possible Gon took after only his mother and no aspects of his dragon heritage were passed down to him. Though, as Kurapika had never met a dragon before and knew little of their abilities, perhaps Gon had inherited power he’d simply yet to observe.

Either way… It wasn’t any of his business.

“Are you going back to bed? Or are we staying up?” Gon asked, his voice energetic as though he was excited about the prospect of staying awake through what Kurapika assumed was the dead of night.

In response, Mito rumbled deeply in her chest, an obvious noise of displeasure or chiding. From the way Gon slumped and quietly laid back down on his makeshift cot, Kurapika’s guess was right.

He laid back down, letting his eyes slide shut. Perhaps, on another day or with other beings, he’d stay awake and observe the newcomers for some time to assess them. But with dragons, if they wanted, he’d be dead either way. There was no point wasting energy on it.

Still, another part of him was fairly comfortable he’d be safe, at least for the night. If only for the fact that he’d be dead by now if they wanted him dead.

And for once, when Kurapika drifted back off into sleep, no nightmares haunted him.


	2. Chapter 2

When Kurapika next woke, the cave was empty.

The flowers grew anew, casting their colorful light across the stone of the cave. The makeshift cot was still in place, but wood had been carefully stacked on the firepit in preparation for a fire. Neither of the dragons nor Gon could be seen or heard, though now that he was paying attention, Kurapika could pick out details he’d missed before. Scratches in the stone that must be from the dragons’ claws, old and dull scales flaked free from their hide by the rocks—had Kurapika been vigilant before, their presence wouldn’t have come as such a shock.

And, now that he was awake and his stomach painfully empty, he recognized the faint smell of cooked meat that must have come from the dinner he slept through the previous night.

He wished Gon had woken him. Not only for food, but so Gon could have introduced him to his guardians as he’d intended to. While his injuries weren’t anything he could casually walk off, a little lost sleep wouldn’t have hurt anything.

Kurapika pulled himself out of bed, bare feet brushing the cool stone of the cave. He pulled on his shoes, ran his fingers through his hair, and straightened his clothes. Changing was too much of a production to do alone right now with having to remove and replace the bandages each time, so he’d just make due.

His footsteps echoed through the cave as he made his way through the exit. He considered just staying put and waiting for Gon to return, but he’d rather gather more information about his current whereabouts. Besides, his sense of direction was passable, leaving him fairly confident he wouldn’t get lost even if the cave had multiple branches.

However, the cave never once branched out as sunlight slowly began to filter inside. Encouraged by the change in lighting, Kurapika hurried his steps, and soon enough, he burst through the cave’s exit.

What greeted was a vast sea of green.

Whale Island, as Gon had called it, was a relatively small island with two mountains. There were nothing but trees for as far as the eye could see, only broken by the yellow of the beaches and the blue of the ocean that stretched off into the horizon. Sunlight warmed his skin, only now making Kurapika aware of how he’d missed it.

“Kurapika!”

He turned in response to his name. With impeccable timing, Gon made his way up the winding pass that led to the mouth of the cave. He had a bundle tucked into his arms, but he freed up one hand just to wave in Kurapika’s direction.

He almost couldn’t help the small, fond smile that tugged at his lips in response. Gon was a good kid, wasn’t he? “Hello, Gon. Did you sleep well?”

“I did!” he answered, slowing his steps as he drew closer to Kurapika before stopping entirely at his side. “Are you feeling better? Is it okay for you to be out of bed?”

“I’m fine,” Kurapika insisted. Although he felt ache in his bones, the pain wasn’t sharp, and he wasn’t as tired as he had been the day before. A little walking around wouldn’t hurt him. “My legs suffered negligible damage, so this should be no problem.”

Gon grinned, though what he was smiling about, Kurapika couldn’t guess. “You’re strong, aren’t you? You must have fallen from a pretty tall height, but you’re up and walking around a couple days after like it’s nothing. That’s impressive!”

“A few days? Gon, how long was I asleep?” Perhaps Kurapika should respond in some way to the compliment, but he was a bit more focused on the fact that Gon had implied he’d been asleep for far longer than he’d first guessed.

“You were asleep for a day, and you woke up yesterday before sleeping again. Then you woke up again in the night,” Gon supplied.

Two days, then. The storm was two days ago, and Kurapika had slept both days away save for the few moments of consciousness the previous day.

Had he been ill? He hadn’t had the presence of mind to notice, honestly. He’d flown during a storm, ignoring the way the rain soaked his clothes and the wind cut its could touch straight to his bones. If subjecting himself to the elements were to ever make him sick, it would be from that.

His wings twitched, one straining against its confines. The movement sent a jolt of pain up Kurapika’s spine and brought a frown to his face. The injury was substantial, but his initial estimate of a week to be able to fly back the mainland shouldn’t need too much revision, even if his estimation of its progress in healing had been off by a day.

“Kurapika?”

He shook his head and turned back to Gon. “I’m fine. Can I help you with anything?”

“Mn, nope! You should rest for now,” Gon said. “Just take it easy and heal! You’re still pretty banged up, you know?”

“I’ll feel like a burden if I just lay around all day,” Kurapika argued back. “I’d like to repay you, but once I’m able to leave, I need to be on my way. So if I want to repay you, it needs to be while I’m here.”

Gon blinked. “Oh… I didn’t think about it like that. Then, how about you rest for the first few days and start helping after that? You seem like you’re in a hurry to leave, but if you don’t rest, you won’t recover as fast.”

“...You have a point,” Kurapika conceded, a little miffed he was being persuaded by a ten year old. Gon truly wasn’t a person to be underestimated, despite his age. “I’ll avoid any strenuous activities today, and tomorrow, I will help.”

“The day after tomorrow! If all your wounds are closed and healing without infection by then!”

_Damn… This kid…_

Feeling that he had no way of winning against him, Kurapika only sighed. “Very well, I agree to these terms.”

Gon grinned and stuck out his pinky, which left Kurapika to blink at it for a moment before he explained, “Pinky promise? It’s a promise between friends!”

“We’re… friends? Already?”

“Of course!” Gon shuffled closer, the pinky still hanging between them. He wasn’t in the least deterred by Kurapika’s hesitance.

There was only one person Kurapika might have referred to as a friend, but he was dead. Everyone was dead—his parents, his teachers, his friend, his classmates, his neighbors—everyone Kurapika had within the floating island was gone.

It was an insular village that existed on that floating island, one where the children are taught that the outside world is full of dangers. Kurapika and Pairo had seen it as an adventure waiting to happen, and oh, how wrong they’d been. Every teaching, every whispered horror meant to deter children of the Kurta from leaving—they had been proven true by the unspeakable cruelty committed against them.

After burying the mangled corpses of his people, Kurapika hadn’t expected to make any friends out here.

But this child before him… He reminded Kurapika of Pairo. Even after all the pain his clan had suffered...

So it was with a sad and nostalgic smile that Kurapika wrapped his pinky around Gon’s, barely listening as the boy rattled off a childish saying to go with it.

A friend… huh?

-/-/-

The bundle Gon was carrying turned out to be foraged fruits and vegetables, some of which they skewered to heat by the fire and some of which they ate raw. The smell of meat still lingered in the air, making their current affair lackluster by comparison, but Kurapika guessed there wouldn’t be leftovers. Feeding two whole dragons was no small thing, after all.

“Are you still hungry?” Gon asked, right after Kurapika finished off his portion.

He shook his head. “No, I’m alright.” While he could eat more, he guessed Gon foraged himself, and he didn’t want to make the child have to go out again purely on his account.

“Okay!” Gon took him at his word, setting out to clean up the wooden utensils. Kurapika almost protested when Gon collected his as well, but he remembered the promise from earlier.

“Are Mito and your grandmother able to take on human form?” he wound up asking instead.

Gon shook his head. “Nope! When I asked them about it, they said they’ve never left the island before, so they’ve never had a reason to.”

“So you made these,” Kurapika observed, his eyes falling to the wooden bowls and spoons. They were carved from wood, and while it wasn’t as skillful as some of the pieces Kurapika had seen before, it was still nothing to sneeze at. Especially if Gon was self-taught, as he must be if no one visits the island.

“Yeah! Kite taught me!”

Kurapika blinked. “Kite?”

“Mhm! He visited the island a few years back and showed me a few things while he stayed. He was looking for my dad,” Gon explained. “Ging wasn’t here, so Kite left to go find him.”

“I see.” So Gon _wasn’t_ self-taught. That did explain some of the craftsmanship on a few of the items in the cave that would be impossible for the dragons to make, but that Gon was able to make everything was still impressive in its own right.

“Is there anything else you want to know?” Gon prodded.

Kurapika shot him a small smile. “Am I that transparent?”

“You’ve never gotten to spend time with dragons, right?” Gon grinned in return. “And you’re already asked a lot of questions!”

“Thank you… Can Mito and your grandmother fly?”

“They can!” Gon answered brightly, his eyes sparking. “You can fly too, right, Kurapika? What’s it like?”

He couldn’t help the smile that tugged his lips, yet again. It felt like he was smiling now more than he had in ages, and that was thanks in large part to Gon’s refreshing if not childish optimism. As much as Gon had been considerate in prompting Kurapika to ask questions earlier, the moment he was presented with something interesting, he seemed to forget entirely because of his own excitement.

Kurapika didn’t find it unpleasant at all.

“It’s like… The feeling when you run, but you can move in many more directions and must faster. You’re not limited to only moving on the ground, is another way of putting it. You go wherever you want, provided the wind currents aren’t working too much against you.”

“That sounds nice! You can probably see a lot from up there, can’t you?”

Kurapika nodded. “Yes, the view is very nice.”

“It’s harder to fly during a storm, isn’t it?”

“...It is,” Kurapika replied shortly, with a frown. Was Gon probing into why he’d been out during a storm? “I wanted to investigate a rumor quickly, so I acted recklessly. Now, it was pointless. I’ve probably lost that opportunity.”

“You’ll get another chance!” Gon insisted. “If you’re determined enough to fly during a storm, then I’m sure you won’t give up that easy. Will you?”

Despite himself, Kurapika found himself snorting. “I suppose you have a point… There will be other leads.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Kurapika let them both fall into silence. Although Gon’s words and attitude were encouraging, the reminder still ate at Kurapika. He couldn’t stand still. He owed it to his fallen clansmen, as the only survivor, not to let the anger in his chest die. He was still irked that his own recklessness had caused him such a long delay, especially when this was his first lead in months to where the eyes of his clansmen were.

Still, that wouldn’t stop his brain from formulating plans.

“Do Mito and your grandmother really never leave the island?” Kurapika asked. He hated to impose on their kindness more than he already had, but if they could give him a ride to the mainland, that meant he could leave at any time. Far more preferable than being stuck here until he finished healing.

Or… He could build a raft, but he wasn’t confident in his skills enough to navigate and survive that. Perhaps if he could still fly and had the option of taking to the air if anything went wrong, he might give that option more consideration, but as it were, it was too risky. The chances of getting lost or drowning or starving were too high.

“No, they never leave. They’re meant to be this island’s guardians, so I’m not sure they’ll ever leave,” Gon answered, and that was the end of that.

Kurapika would be leaving only by air through the power of his own wings.

“I see. Thank you for answering,” Kurapika replied, and as best he tried to hide his disappointment behind politeness, his voice sounded hollow.

Gon tilted his head before springing to his feet. “Kurapika, do you want to see more of the island?”

“...What about resting?”

“It’s okay, we’ll go slow! And I won’t take you too far!”

Well, Kurapika wasn’t going to argue with that. He pulled himself to his feet, only tensing slightly when Gon grabbed his hand and started leading him outside like the excited child he was. And again, it only brought memories of red robes, brown hair, and cloudy eyes to Kurapika’s mind.

He shook his head, focusing on Gon instead as he led him outside the cave and finally dropped his grip on Kurapika’s hand. He only stopped to retrieve a bag and a pole to sling on his back.

“This way!”

Kurapika followed Gon down the mountain pass and into the woods. True to Gon’s word, they kept near the mountain, and Gon showed him his favorite places to play, his favorite tree to climb, and which areas were the best for foraging.

Finally, he stopped at the edge of a large lake and sat before patting the ground next to him. Without a word of complaint, Kurapika sat next to him and watched as he pulled his bag off his shoulders.

“Have you ever fished before?” Gon asked, as he adjusted his grip and the line on the pole he’d brought, and it was then that Kurapika understood its purpose.

“I haven’t for some time,” he answered. “I might be a bit rusty.”

Gon grinned and passed him the fishing rod. “I’m not sure what Mito is going to bring for dinner, so fish might be good to have! Don’t strain yourself, though!”

“I’ll be careful,” Kurapika assuaged. The wood was smooth in his palms, and it was similar to the fishing rods he vaguely remembered the Kurta using the few times he’d gone fishing. It was almost nostalgic, because he knew for a fact most modern fishing rods used wheels and weren’t made of wood.

He thumbed over the smooth metal hook, the only piece of metalwork he’d seen so far on the island, and wondered where Gon had gotten it. Well, no matter. There were plenty of explanations, from having gotten it from Kite to simply picking it up from debris the currents brought to the shore of Whale Island.

After baiting it, Kurapika tossed the line into the water and waited. Gon was quiet next to him, watching his lure intently, and they sat like that for what felt like ages before something actually tugged at the line.

Kurapika sprang to his feet and pulled, bringing the lure and the fish above water. Of course, it simply fell back in, so Kurapika instead grabbed the line with one hand and wound it around his hand until the fish was dragged onto the lake’s bank.

Kurapika lifted the fish and frowned as it struggled on the end of the line. It was incredibly small, so much that he couldn’t imagine it being a satisfying meal.

Gon smiled at him and held out a hand, and with a dismay that Kurapika refused to make known, he watched as Gon pulled the small fish off the hook and tossed it back into the water.

“If they’re too small,” he explained, “then they go back into the water so they can grow.”

Kurapika nodded. “This makes sense. A reasonable approach.” He said that, but the childish and prideful part of him was still vainly throwing a quiet tantrum that all his work and his first catch hadn’t been satisfactory.

“I’ll do the next one!” Gon said, baiting the hook again. His fingers were far more practiced and nimble at the task than Kurapika’s had been, a testament to his experience with it. Kurapika supposed he could only sit next to him and take note of his technique. He doubted the information would be truly useful, but it never hurt to have survival skills.

It was only when the lure was back in the water that Kurapika softly asked, “Is there a technique to avoid the small ones?”

“No,” Gon replied. “Or… maybe there is, but I don’t know it. I just toss them back when I catch them. Sometimes, there will be a lot more of them depending on what season it is.”

“I see.”

In the end, Kurapika only caught one fish worth keeping while Gon caught two. According to Gon, it was still a pretty good haul for the season, but given that they had to spend hours on the task just for three fish, Kurapika couldn’t help but feel that it was an inefficient source of food. If he ever needed to collect food, hunting or foraging might just be faster.

Still, spending the time with Gon had been fun, despite the boredom of the task itself.

Walking back, Kurapika tried to remember that last time he’d chatted so freely with someone. Certainly not in this language, one that was foreign on his tongue but had somehow become more practiced than his own. Three years then…

He shook his head, focusing on the path ahead.

Six days. He was just here for six more days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments! I'm very slow at replying, but I promise I'll respond eventually!


	3. Chapter 3

The days passed with little consequence. True to his word, Gon started giving Kurapika tasks that were more than simply fishing a few days in, once he seemed reassured that Kurapika wouldn’t collapse at the first stiff wind. It helped pass the time and ease the burden of Kurapika’s debt to Gon and his caretakers, which he was grateful for.

Of course, at the end of the week, Kurapika needed to be careful about how he proceeded. While he hated to part on such terms after all the kindness he’d received, he couldn’t abandon his mission or afford the delay. He wasn’t any closer to finding the eyes or the Phantom Troupe than he’d been three years ago—he couldn’t waste time here, on a remote island where he was even less likely to make progress.

But Gon would protest and stop him, and while Kurapika felt fairly confident he could overpower Gon, he didn’t want to. Not just before his caretakers could easily shred Kurapika if they so choose, which they almost seemed too kind to now that Kurapika had spent some time in their presence, but because he liked Gon.

Gon was bright, in all senses of the word. Growing a fondness for him almost felt inevitable.

But Kurapika couldn’t stay here any longer than what was absolutely necessary.

Sneaking away in the dead of night would have been ideal, but the dragons’ bulk in the cave blocked the exit and made that impossible. A part of Kurapika wondered if that was deliberate, to keep the stranger on the island in check, but from their characters and the way they never watched him closely during the daytime, he doubted it. They never spent a night away from the cave, either.

Kurapika’s best option was actually to try during the morning, the only time when he was left alone. The dragons always left early to hunt or stretch their wings, and Gon similarly had little patience for staying in the cave to wait for Kurapika to wake up. He also never tried to stir Kurapika before he woke up on his own, presumably to give him more time to rest and recover, which often meant that Kurapika was left by himself.

This was the ideal time.

On the morning six days past his fishing trip with Gon, Kurapika stayed quietly in bed, eyes shut and breathing carefully measured, as first Mito and the Grandmother, then Gon, awoke and started their days.

Once they were gone, Kurapika sat up and collected his things. There was very little to collect—just his bag and the personal effects he’d removed from it over his stay. His footsteps rang hollowly against the walls of the cave, which had grown to feel so familiar in only his short stay.

He squinted under the sunlight as he exited the cave. A quick survey confirmed that neither Gon nor any of the dragons were within his line of sight, so he could continue without worrying about intervention. Instead of heading down the pass, he started up it.

Gon had brought him this way only once—so they could watch the sunset together at the mountain’s peak.

With his wings in poor shape, Kurapika was hoping to glide more than anything. To do that, it was best to start from as high as possible, rather than simply using his wings to propel him up which would put more strain on them. The mountain’s peak, being one of the highest points on the island, would work best for this.

Kurapika only paused to stare out at the scenery again, remembering when Gon had led him up here. It had seemed a magical place then, when shared with someone he might call a friend—but now it was just… plain. The sun wasn’t setting. Gon’s chatter didn’t fill the air.

Kurapika took a breath. This was loneliness, he knew. It was a feeling he’d have to get used to.

With deft fingers, he undid his bandages and carefully rolled them. He placed them directly on the spot he and Gon had sat to watch the sunset, knowing Gon would still be likely to find them there.

He flicked his wings up and winced at the sting. It wasn’t as jarring as before, and while the wing did move much better now, it was still clear the fracture wasn’t completely healed.

 _It’s fine,_ he told himself. _It just needs to get me to the mainland, and I can walk from there._

Kurapika stepped to the drop off, the tip of his shoes toeing the edge. It was steep. Heights had never bothered him before, not when he could scale them easily with his wings, but… He still remembered the feeling of being tossed and thrown by the storm’s winds, until they slammed him to the ground hard enough to snap the very thing that was supposed to let Kurapika conquer them.

Nothing was absolute. Nothing was safe. Anything could be lost, whether it was security, ability, or even people. Kurapika should have learned that lesson long ago.

But even if he was stepping off to his death, he couldn’t afford to stand still. Not when his people could no longer move forward, not when they were all dead and Kurapika was alive.

So he stepped forward.

As they say… one step forward, two steps back.

His wings caught the wind easily, pumping at his back and carrying him forward. It was painful, but the rush from the air against his skin and the ground soaring past beneath him was enough of a distraction to make the ache nothing but an afterthought.

His hands curled around his bag, and an accomplished smile snuck onto his features.

No problems. He was flying, and so long as he could get to the mainland, he could move forward.

And suddenly, the island gave way to sea beneath him. It gave Kurapika a moment of pause, an odd sense of foreboding—of loss. He turned his head back, catching one last glimpse of Whale Island.

And a part of him wanted to go back.

Because it was warm where everywhere else was cold. It had what he’d lost, those three years ago when rumors of his clan’s massacre had reached his ears. It had people to share meals with, people to fish with, and people to smile with.

It was a traitorous thought.

Kurapika didn’t fear death. He only feared he’d forget his anger, his clan, his roots. He was the last survivor, the last one who knew of their language, their way of life, and their smiles and tears. The Kurta would die with him, and he would become a curse of revenge to punish the evil that had spelled them to death.

And so, he pressed forward instead.

But.

Something…

_...broke._

It happened in an instant. One moment, Kurapika was flying, and the next, he was falling. The pain barely registered, and although his instincts had him beating his wings to try and steady his fall. Only one would move the way he wanted, leaving his movements jerky and uncontrollable. It slowed his descent, but that was all Kurapika’s efforts amounted to.

Before he knew it, he plunged into the cold depths of the sea.

Kurapika had never learned to swim.

The Kurta had no need for the knowledge. They lived in floating cities, with only shallow ponds. Their wings were useless if completely soaked, so most avoided getting them wet.

Kurapika thought this as he scrambled against the water, trying to claw his way back up the surface. Wings may make him ruler of the skies, but here, the water only seeped past the protective layer of oil to soak the feathers, making them heavier than they had any right to be. It did the same to his clothes, everything working against him to drag him down.

A part of his mind panicked, but another was calm.

He was going to die, at this rate.

He had no way of changing the circumstances. He didn’t possess any knowledge that would save him, nor did he have the skill necessary to swim back up to the surface given the limitations. He was going to drown, simply put.

Dully, he wondered if he should’ve asked Gon to teach him to swim, if that was even possible for someone with wings.

He didn’t fear death, but he did fear dying having accomplished nothing. What would they say, if Kurapika met Pairo and his family again in the afterlife and had nothing to show for himself?

He knew enough to try to hold his breath as he sank, but he was forced to draw a breath when his head began to swim and his lungs ached. Water filled his lungs, doing nothing to soothe the ache and only making him cough and sputter, drawing in more water.

His head grew fuzzy, and he couldn’t arrange his thoughts any more. Only the panic remained, as he tried to aimlessly claw against the very ocean itself.

And then something changed in his field of view, darkening it.

He was too far gone to notice. The world became dark, and Kurapika’s mind went with it.

-/-/-

Kurapika came to coughing and sputtering. The wind whipped around him, allowing him the relief of filling his air with lungs. Water flowed from his lips until his throat ached as much as his chest, and he tried to turn onto his side only to be impeded by his wings.

He tried to move them but was met with only pain.

Tired, cold, and soaked to the bone, Kurapika let himself go limp in defeat. He should be dead, but he wasn’t. He hadn’t been saved by his own power but someone else’s, and that could only mean…

Kurapika’s eyes blearily roamed the surrounding, confirming his theory. A great dragon, one he recognized as Gon’s grandmother, carefully cradled him in her claws. Her wings beat strongly at her back and carried them through the air, back towards Whale Island.

He’d failed. His wings hadn’t even gotten him past the sea.

She landed in a familiar location, and though her movements were lumbering because of her size, she was careful when depositing Kurapika down on the ground.

Kurapika refused to look her in the eye, instead only laying on his side and covering his face with one arm. She sniffed him, made a few noises that sounded like concerned whines, but Kurapika only curled in more tightly into himself.

He didn’t think he’d have to face them after running away and spitting on their kindness. It was almost too great a shame to bear.

The grandmother seemed to give up on prodding him, instead raising her head. Kurapika wouldn’t have been able to prepare himself for the sound that followed, a booming roar that shook him to his very bones and had every fiber of his being screaming at him.

He shoved the fear away as quickly as the roar died. It was a powerful sound from an even more fearsome creature, yes, but if they’d wanted him dead, then they wouldn’t bother with all this kindness.

The sound of beating wings drew closer and closer, until the sound of Mito landing and rocking the very earth with her form marked its end. So the roar was to summon her and Gon, most likely.

Kurapika still didn’t look up, even as he heard the sound of someone landing on very human feet.

“Kurapika?!”

Gon’s footsteps drew near, until the green of his shoes filled Kurapika’s vision. He knelt in front of him—since Kurapika was still covering his face and he hadn’t answered him, he realized Gon was about to check and make sure he was conscious and/or breathing.

Just before Gon touched him, Kurapika let his hand fall from his face.

“...I’m fine, Gon.” His voice cracked as he spoke, but he barely noticed.

Gon fell silent, eyes widening as he stared. “...Kurapika. Your eyes are red.”

“...Mn.” Were they? He supposed it wasn’t surprising. His thoughts were in such disarray that he wasn’t quite sure where to even begin sorting through them. He was used to anger triggering his scarlet eyes, but he had no idea what to do with whatever the hell was clawing at his chest right now.

He was, at the very least, grateful Gon wasn’t calling him a demon for them.

“Are you okay? Did you try and fly?” Gon pressed. Though he was sharp and skilled for his age, he was still a child, and Kurapika only wanted to hide from his bright attention and innocent confusion.

When Kurapika didn’t reply, Gon opened his mouth to ask again. He was stopped by a gentle nuzzling from Mito, and she seemed to say something to him that gave Gon pause. Instead of asking further questions, he pulled himself to his feet.

“Aunt Mito says you should change into something dry,” Gon relayed, more for Kurapika’s benefit than anything. “We can do that and then look at your wing again!”

With that, Gon ran into the mouth of the cave, assumingly to retrieve dry clothes. This left Kurapika alone with the dragons. The fact he couldn’t communicate with them was both a blessing and a curse. He didn’t have to worry about having to explain himself to them, but then again, if they were angry with him for his actions and he’d used up his goodwill, then he would have no way of knowing.

Gon returned a few moments later with a change of clothes. Kurapika didn’t recognize the clothing, but his mind was too hazy to try and puzzle where the clothes might have come from.

“Can you stand?” Gon asked.

Kurapika drew in a breath and nodded. He pulled himself to his feet, only stumbling slightly at the weight of his wings. They were no more than lead weights on his back as they were now, and the injured one was in almost worse shape than it had been before. With it like this, it’d take some time to adjust his sense of balance.

Whatever Mito had told Gon, it kept him from asking more questions as they walked into the cave. Kurapika tracked water the whole way in, his clothes, hair, and wings all still dripping with seawater. Once they arrived, Gon set the spare clothes on the cot and held out his hand.

“I’ll set up a fire and put your bag by it so we can dry your stuff while you change,” he explained. Without a word, Kurapika pulled his bag off his shoulders—he was really lucky the sea hadn’t snatched it away, not that it had anything truly important within it—and handed it to Gon without complaint.

Gon left in the next moment.

Kurapika wanted to fall to the ground and curl in on himself again now that he was alone, but he knew he should probably listen. It wasn’t like there was anything else to do. He wouldn’t be leaving the island anytime soon. Of that, he had been made painfully aware.

Slowly, Kurapika pulled the soaked clothing from his body, hoping he hadn’t inadvertently ruined his traditional clothing. He could always sew more; he’d picked up the skill purely to ensure he wouldn’t have to stop wearing the styles he’d grown up with, but he assumed it would be difficult to get cloth on the island.

The spare clothing was soft, at least. It consisted of a white long-sleeved turtleneck and fitted back pants. The back had been shorn out to make room for Kurapika’s wings, but the frayed edges hadn’t been mended yet. The clothes were obviously for someone several heads taller than Kurapika, but both him and the original owner had slim builds, so the clothes fit decently once he rolled the sleeves and pant legs.

He carefully laid out his wet clothing, hoping it would dry alright. He ignored the pain in his back and lungs, the hollowness in his chest.

That was when Gon returned.

“Hey! Your eyes are back to normal!”

Kurapika said nothing, simply starting ahead and refusing to turn and greet Gon.

He didn’t seem to mind, or at the very least, he wasn’t deterred. He approached anyway, and Kurapika nearly whipped away when he felt a hand land on his wing.

“Ah, sorry!” Gon seemed surprised by his reaction, stepping away as Kurapika’s wings flared. This of course only had Kurapika almost doubled over in pain. He’d regretted the movement, as involuntary as it was, almost immediately. “I should’ve given you a warning! Is it painful?”

“No… It’s fine. I was just… surprised,” Kurapika managed to grit out.

“I need to check the bones again. I’m not sure if I need to set them back into place again,” Gon said. “Can you try not to move while I do?”

Kurapika nodded mutely. It felt wrong to rely on a child younger than himself to do this kind of thing, rather than a doctor or just straight up a responsible adult, but he had little choice. Kurapika couldn’t exactly set the bones in the wing himself, if it needed setting.

He remained silent as Gon prodded the appendage, using his injured wing as reference for the placement of the bones, and adjusted as he ran into anomalies. Silently grateful he had been unconscious the first time, Kurapika bit his lip to keep silent as the broken bones of his wings shifted in his flesh, until finally Gon stepped back and retrieved the gauze.

“It’s not too bad!” he reported. “It’s a little worse than before, so you’ll need more time to recover now, but I’m sure you’ll be fine!”

Kurapika sighed. He supposed he should have taken that into account, that if he failed he would only delay his own departure and his goal. He would have been better off simply waiting out the original two weeks.

Gon wrapped his wing with Kurapika’s help much as they had done before, and then he immediately started working to set up a fire to heat the cave. It was colder than outside, and water still clung to Kurapika’s wings and hair.

Dozens of minutes later found them both sitting around the fire, a blanket carefully draped over his shoulders and his good wing fanned out near the fire. Gon poked at the flames with a stick, looking for all the world like a boy told to stay inside when he wanted to go out and play.

“Mito told you not to ask me any questions,” Kurapika guessed.

Gon nodded. “She said we should focus on getting you dry and treated first. Since your wings are still wet, I can’t ask yet.”

“It’s just waiting now,” Kurapika sighed. “I’m calm now, so you don’t have to worry about asking. Your Aunt was only concerned that I would be overwhelmed if forced to answer too many questions at the time.”

“...Are you sure?”

Kurapika nodded. “I feel that I owe you honestly, after I ran off without explaining myself and have imposed further on your charity. You and your family have shown me nothing but kindness…” And Kurapika hadn’t acted the least bit grateful for it.

“If you’re sure!” Gon said, before his eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. “Why did you try and leave early? Does it have anything to do with the reason you were trying to fly during a storm?”

“It does,” Kurapika confirmed. He drew in a breath, steeling himself for the following conversation. “My clan… was a clan of winged people who also possessed what’s known as the scarlet eyes. Our eyes turn red when we experience extreme emotions, and this color is considered one of the seven treasures of the world. In order to obtain them, someone slaughtered my whole clan… I want to retrieve the stolen eyes and punish those responsible.”

He drew in another breath at the end of his explanation. His hands were carefully folded in his lap, and he hoped he was keeping himself in check enough to keep his eyes brown.

“Oh… So that’s why.”

Kurapika finally looked up. He’d tried to keep the story brief, but even then, he worried it might be too much for a ten year old.

To his surprise, Gon didn’t seem particularly distressed or upset. Rather than looking at Kurapika with sorrow or pity, or looking as though he was an overwhelmed child, he just looked… understanding?

What a curious child.

Despite himself, a smile finally cracked Kurapika’s features. “Gon, you’re a wonder.”

“Am I?” He blinked and rubbed the back of his head. A goofy grin overtook his features. “More importantly, are you feeling any better?”

“I am. Thank you for listening.”

Gon nodded and sprang to his feet. “Don’t worry, Kurapika! I’ll make sure to take good care of your wing so you can leave as soon as it’s good and healed! Just don’t try and run off without saying anything again, okay? I want to help you achieve your goal as soon as possible!”

“...Thank you,” Kurapika breathed.

Maybe… Just maybe…

He didn’t have to do things completely alone.


	4. Chapter 4

If it was at all possible, the next few weeks passed by faster than the first. Kurapika fell into a routine of exploring the island with Gon in the mornings, while the afternoons were spent hunting or fishing with him. The island was fairly large, relatively speaking, but since Gon had been raised here since he was a young child, he knew every nook and cranny, every fun climbing tree, and every cool spot the island had to offer.

Two weeks passed, and Gon had started checking Kurapika’s wing almost every day to see if it was healed. So far, it wasn’t to Gon’s satisfaction, but Kurapika would just have to be patient. He’d promised not to run off again, after all.

“Kurapika!”

Gon paused upon entering the cave, staring with curious eyes at the bundle in Kurapika’s lap. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Gon?”

“What are you doing?”

“You tore the shirt for my wings,” Kurapika said, gesturing to the loner outfit Gon had given him two weeks ago. “I noticed your supply of cloth is rather limited, so I wanted to at least stitch the edges you tore on this so the shirt won’t fray when wearing it. It’s backless now, but…”

“Oh! That’s smart! So you know how to sew?”

Kurapika nodded. “I learned a year or two ago… Gon, whose clothes are these?” It was a question that had been at the back of his mind since he was given them, but he’d forgotten to ask until now.

“They’re Kite’s old hand-me-downs,” Gon said. “When he visited the island, he left a bunch of stuff I couldn’t get easily on my own, like cloth. Vendors don’t really come here.”

“Hm… I suppose it would be difficult to order things online and have them delivered as well,” Kurapika noted. Granted, he’d grown up in similar circumstances—everything the Kurta had, they either made themselves or traded with villages in the area for. He couldn’t remember anyone even owning a cellphone, let alone having anything delivered.

“...Online?”

Ho boy.

Kurapika wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Gon had been raised by two dragons, all alone on this island. He hadn’t thought about it before because he was used to the lack of technology from his own upbringing, but Whale Island completely lacked it.

“Would you like me to explain?” Kurapika asked. “I don’t have much on me, but it might be useful in case you ever leave.”

It was a difficult thing to get used to. While Kurapika had basic knowledge of it from the exams he took in order to get permission to leave, he hadn’t had much first hand experience with it when he’d left. A lot of people had simply grown up with it, so they had always given him odd looks when he asked how to work it. The first time he tried to use a computer, he suspected the librarian had wanted to pull his hair out from the number of questions. (Granted, Kurapika had also been curious and asking about its workings and how the internet worked, which he now recognized as something most people didn’t bother learning.)

Gon nodded. “Tell me! What is it?”

“Well… Think of the internet as a giant library shared by everyone. To access it, you just need a phone or a computer that can connect to it. Most can, these days. It’s useful for gathering information on people,” Kurapika explained. He was simplifying things of course, partly because he hadn’t gained a true understanding of the technical mechanics behind it and partly because he didn’t want to overwhelm Gon.

“What kind of information?”

Kurapika hummed. “Anything, really. Some is harder to find, though. I had no trouble looking up information about the existence of the scarlet eyes, but there didn’t seem to be much information on their exact location or of the Kurta. Since the knowledge is compiled from general knowledge, you can only find general knowledge easily. I imagine access to more information requires connections or foreknowledge of which websites to visit.”

“That’s amazing! Can we use it now?” Gon asked, his eyes shining with curiosity.

“I don’t have anything capable of connecting,” Kurapika replied. Cellphones were rather expensive, and he hadn’t seen it as a necessary thing to save funds for when he could borrow public computers. “You’d have to visit the mainland.”

“Ah, I see! I’ll look forward to it, then!”

Kurapika blinked and titled his head at Gon’s words. “Gon, do you mean to leave the island?”

“I will!” He grinned. “I want to meet my father. Aunt Mito won’t tell me anything about him other than that he left me here when I was really young, so I want to know more about him.”

“...You’re not angry he left?” When he spoke of his absentee father, Gon didn’t seem the least bit upset about the fact his father wasn’t around. It was a wonder. Perhaps he was just young, but then again, if their situations had been reversed, Kurapika wasn’t sure he would be able to keep from resenting a parent like that.

Gon shook his head. “Not really… If he left his son, he must have reasons? I’m more curious than anything. What was so important to him? What’s so amazing that you pick it over your son?”

From anyone else, Gon’s word may sound sarcastic or passive aggressive, but he was nothing but honest as he spoke. His eyes shone, betraying nothing.

Kurapika sighed. Gon never failed to go above and beyond, did he? “I see. I wish you luck in finding him, then.”

“I can’t go with you, can I?”

Kurapika froze. Admittedly, he hadn’t considered the option, but there were too many reasons that it would be a bad idea. As extraordinary as Gon seemed, he was still only ten. Kurapika had no idea what kind of villains he’d have to face to achieve his goals, and he didn’t want to drag anyone, let alone someone so young, down with him. Furthermore… “I can’t fly that far while carrying someone. If you want to come with me, you’d have to figure out how to transport yourself, but I won’t wait for you if you take a raft.”

That should make it impossible for Gon to follow him. Though… He did feel a bit bad. It was true he wouldn’t have the stamina to fly all the way to the mainland if he was also carrying Gon, he would actually consider waiting for him if his arrival was delayed.

But it was better if he didn’t follow Kurapika at all.

Gon nodded. “Okay! We can just hope to run into one another, then.”

“That sounds agreeable,” Kurapika replied, smiling in spite of himself.

“Oh! We should redo your bandages,” Gon remembered, bursting to his feet. “It’s been two weeks now, though the bones still didn’t feel completely right a few days ago… But it might be better today!”

Kurapika doubted it. Three weeks since the original injury, two since he’d essentially re-broken everything by flying too soon. While it wasn’t unreasonable, it still might be too early.

He’d learned his lesson. He wasn’t going to fly again until he was absolutely sure it wouldn’t delay his departure for a second time.

“I can undo the bandages myself,” Kurpika said, holding up a hand to stop Gon in his tracks, “but I’ll still need help checking on it because of the angle, and redoing it is still difficult on my own.”

“Okay!”

Kurapika gave him a curt nod before working to undo the bandages. Gon’s handiwork was skilled beyond his years, as always, and undoing them always took a few minutes. Kurapika was careful to force his wings still once they were free, even as they itched to twitch and flutter with their newfound freedom.

Still, it was impossible to keep them completely still. They responded to his emotions, flicking with his agitation and flaring with his fear. He winced when they did, and…

Something was wrong.

Kurapika said nothing as Gon prodded the bad wing. It wouldn’t be completely healed yet. Kurapika knew that much without Gon’s assessment, but he let the child work anyway. Perhaps he was mistaken. It wouldn’t be the first time. At this point, he almost trusted Gon’s judgement more than his own.

When Gon shook his head and started gathering up the bandages again, Kurapika could only sigh.

-/-/-

Five weeks. Four weeks since Kurapika’s blunder, and five weeks since the original injury. By all accounts, Kurapika should be completely recovered by now.

But.

He tested the wings, allowing them to stretch out behind him. The pain was mostly gone, leaving only a distant ache, but it was the wing’s clumsy movements that Kurapika found more concerning.

Gon frowned at it. “I don’t get it… It should be healed by now, but it’s not moving right. And it still doesn’t feel right, either.”

Kurapika didn’t respond. Instead, he flicked his wings out as far as they would stretch and pushed downward with them. He should have sprung into the air—taking off from the ground wasn’t at all difficult for the Kurta—but his takeoff only carried him a little farther than it would have if he had simply jumped. His feet brushed earth again all too soon.

“Ah! Kurapika, are you alright?!”

“I’m fine,” Kurapika said lowly. “It didn’t hurt.”

“Then… it’s not broken anymore? You got so high!”

“Not high enough.”

With hollow steps, Kurapika started forward. He’d grown so used to walking that he hadn’t been thinking about it, but oh how inefficient it was compared to flying. The wind, the height, the speed—these were things Kurapika hadn’t realized he would miss until they were gone.

His feet carried him to the nearest drop off. Gon’s voice was a distant echo, ignored in favor of robotically putting one foot in front of the other. So he couldn’t take off from a cold start anymore, but it was possible that if he started with some altitude, he’d still be able to fly.

But a tugging on his wrist grounded him.

He turned, blinking, to be met with wide brown eyes.

“It’s too high,” Gon said, likely repeating what he’d said before. “There are smaller drops we can try elsewhere, okay? This one is too high!”

Kurapika sucked in a breath and glanced to the drop off he’d been about to step off. It didn’t seem all that high to him, but without flight, the fall would be impossible to walk away from unscathed. It was a bitter pill to swallow, that ‘without flight’ caveat, but without further testing, Gon was right. Kurapika should err on the side of caution, if only to avoid worrying his hosts anymore than he already had.

“You’re right, Gon. I’m sorry. I lost my head, and I wasn’t thinking. Can you take me to the other drop off?” The words rolled of his tongue like lead, but Gon’s smile was enough to ease their weight.

He didn’t release his grip on Kurapika’s wrist, instead tugging him away from the drop off and towards the mountain trail. He moved almost robotically, feeling his wings droop behind him. It was strange to have them free after weeks of being pinned to his back, but at least one of them hadn’t forgotten how it was supposed to move.

As for the other one…

“Okay!” Gon’s chipper voice cut through the fog of Kurapika’s thoughts. “Try here!”

Gon finally released his grip on Kurapika’s arm. He noted that they were at the edge of a different drop off, and peering over the side, it was indeed much less of a drop than the last one. What’s more, there was dirt at the bottom instead of stone, which would make for a softer landing in the event he did fall.

Kurapika didn’t say anything else as he toed the edge. An anxiety lurked on the edges of his mind that hadn’t been there before—he hadn’t been thinking about the fall, only reaching for what he’d once had—but now, he knew that if he couldn’t even fly from a start like this, he wouldn’t be able to at all.

A part of him didn’t want to know if that was the case. The ignorance would allow him to hold onto the memories of flight and tell himself he could have it again.

But that was ridiculous.

His clan had suffered far worse injustices, as their ghost, Kurapika owed it to them to avenge them. He couldn’t do that with partial information, or by lying to himself to protect his own heart.

In face of the memory of his clan, he meant nothing.

He took a deep breath, only sparing a quick glance Gon’s way. The child was grinning, practically oozing encouragement. The fact he didn’t seem too worried eased Kurapika’s nerves somewhat.

Kurapika stepped forward, and the ground beneath his feet became nothing but a memory.

His wings beat furiously to catch the air, but Kurapika could tell they weren’t in sync. He jerked to one side or the other with very little control over his direction. He tried to push them harder, to stretch them out and catch the wind and glide—but his bad wing never once cooperated. It refused to move the way Kurapika wanted, leaving him scrambling for purchase in the air.

When he hit the ground, the blow to his pride was more painful than the landing itself.

“Kurapika! Are you okay?!”

Gon’s voice was more distant than it should be given the height of the drop off. Kurapika didn’t look up, instead keeping his gaze focused downwards as he balled his fists into the dirt. There was no doubt his eyes would be blazing scarlet.

...What was he supposed to do now?

This meant he had no way to leave the island, not by his own power. Neither of the dragons could leave, either, and Gon didn’t even have the capability to. Without his wings, Kurapika would have to resort to drastic means to leave the island.

What a joke. If he hadn’t been so stupid, then his wings would have healed correctly. It was his own fault. He was barely at the starting line, barely at the place where he knew anything about the Phantom Troupe and where his kins’ eyes were, and he’d already failed.

What a useless echo of revenge he was.

“Kurapika?”

Gon’s voice was much closer now, so close that Kurapika snapped his head up to meet brown eyes. Gon must’ve run down when he didn’t answer… He was crouching next to him, his nearly ceaseless smile gone for once.

Blinking, Kurapika realized his cheeks were wet. He pulled himself to his feet and turned, scrubbing at his eyes as he did so. “I’m sorry, Gon. Could you leave me alone for a few moments?”

“...Are you sure?”

Kurapika opened his mouth to reply, but he found his voice failed him. A part of him wanted Gon to stay—a reminder that he wasn’t alone, that he had at least one friend. But another part of him lashed out at the thought. His family, his friends, everyone he’d once cared for were all dead. What right did he have to replace them, when he couldn’t even do one simple thing right?

“You want to leave the island, right?” Gon continued speaking, since Kurapika hadn’t replied yet. “There are other ways! Kite might visit again? It’s been two years since his last visit, but he could come again if he’s in the area! He has a cool boat, so you could ride back with him?”

“I don’t have time for ‘what ifs’ or ‘maybes,’” Kurapika said slowly, using a tone more curt than he’d ever used with Gon before. “I need to accomplish…”

If Gon was hurt by his tone, he didn’t show it. “What is it?”

“Have you heard of the Kurta, Gon?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Kurapika knew he should leave it at that, but… No matter what, no matter what toxic thoughts rattled around his mind, Gon was still a friend. And if Kurapika kept everything in, he thought something might snap. “All my kind have wings, but my specific clan was called the Kurta. What was unique about us… When our emotions are heightened to abnormal extremes, our eyes turn scarlet. This color is thought to be one of the seven most beautiful things in the world… So many people want it, no matter what horrors they have to commit to get it.”

Kurapika paused there, finally meeting Gon’s gaze. He watched with a clear expression, not a hint of sympathy or of being overwhelmed by the implication of Kurapika’s words. He was free of judgement, of any kind.

“My clan is dead now. I want to punish those responsible, and to collect all the eyes that were stolen from their corpses and sold for a profit,” Kurapika continued. Memories of the gory scenes floated into the forefront of his thoughts, but he retained enough presence of mind not to describe them to a child, mature or not. “For that… I can’t accomplish that here, Gon. I need to leave.”

There was a pause as Gon seemed to contemplate his words.

“Aunt Mito and Grandmother can’t leave,” he finally said, frowning. “They’re not supposed to leave the island… But I can leave!”

Kurapika blinked. “You can’t fly, and if you mean to accompany me by raft, it’s too dangerous.”

“Kite said the currents around here are dangerous. You wouldn’t make it out on a regular raft, you’d need a special boat like Kite has,” Gon informed, making Kurapika’s heart sink farther. “But I can fly! Or, I should be able to! If I learn to shift into my dragon form, then I can fly you to the mainland!”

Kurapika froze. If a raft was out of the question, then Gon’s suggestion was perhaps the most viable option for leaving the island that didn’t rely on hoping this mysterious ‘Kite’ would show himself. But…

“Gon… I can’t ask you to leave your home for my sake,” Kurapika said, his voice hollow in his ears. “And there’s no guarantee you can even accomplish what you’re suggesting. It’s not uncommon for children of mixed human heritage to inherit none of the properties of their non-human parent. You could be no different from an ordinary human child.”

Gon shook his head. “No, I can hear Mito and Grandmother’s voices, though! I know if I tried, I could do it. I’m just… not allowed to leave until I can shift… But if you wait a bit! Then I’m sure I can do it!”

“Not allowed?”

“Aunt Mito said so, because I want to leave and meet my father. I _want_ to leave, so you should come with me!”

Kurapika blinked. His eyes had finally started to grow dry, only for tears to sting at them again. He refused to let them fall, but he couldn’t ignore the bubbling in his heart, disrupting the empty pain of before. It wasn’t gone, not by a long shot, but something else was growing alongside it now.

For now… Perhaps he could rest, until Gon could make good on his words.

And Kurapika trusted Gon, without a doubt, to carry through.

So he hung his head, hiding a fractured smile, and said, “Alright, Gon. You win.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If I missed any tags, please feel free to let me know and I'll happily add them. 
> 
> Please talk with me about hunter x hunter I am desperate


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